On Saturday 20 October 2018 the team from FRNSW's Batemans Bay station will be climbing the iconic Sydney Tower Eye along with hundreds of other firefighters as quickly as possible in full structural fire fighting ensemble to raise money and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Teams of firefighters will race to climb all 1504 stairs (98 floors) of the Sydney Tower Eye, each carrying an additional 20kg of gear. Four members of the FRNSW's Batemans Bay station will be climbing the 1504 steps & 309 meters of vertical height within the confined stairwell of the Sydney Tower Eye wearing full structural firefighting ensemble and air sets with a combined weight of over 20kg. The team are often seen out practising on the Catalina stair case and though it is only 72 steps in height they mount and descend it 21 times each training session in full rig. Starting off with backpacks containing three, three litre bottles of water (9kg) and in civvies the four person team have now progressed to their full rig of 20kg wearing regulation firefighting ensembles. The stair climbers from FRNSW's Batemans Bay station are well motivated saying "it will be a gruelling challenge, however it is nothing in comparison to the challenge patients with MND face every day.
"MND is Motor Neurone Disease, or ALS, or Lou Gehrigs Disease. It doesn’t matter what you call it you don’t want it. Normal healthy fit people exactly like you get MND. It strikes indiscriminately, at anytime with no proven explanation.
"MND is a progressive, terminal neurological disease. MND affects the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow, causing them the degenerate and die. A person’s senses and intellect are not affected.
"Every dollar raised will directly support vital MND research at the Macquarie University MND Research Centre. Every cent helps. Please dig deep." You can support the team from the FRNSW's Batemans Bay station HERE
